This application is based on Patent Application No. 2001-195418 filed Jun. 27, 2001 in Japan, the content of which is incorporated hereinto by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device-socket used for testing a semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Semiconductor devices mounted on an electronic equipment or others are subjected to various tests at a stage prior to being actually mounted so that latent defects therein are removed. The test is performed nondestructively through application of voltage stress, high-temperature operation, and high-temperature storage corresponding to thermal and mechanical environment tests or the like. Among these tests, there is a burn-in test effective for removing initial-inoperable integrated circuits, in which an operation test is performed under a high temperature condition for a predetermined time.
A semiconductor device-socket subjected to such a test as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3059946 and as illustrated in FIG. 7, for example, is disposed on a printed circuit board 2 that includes an input/output portion, to which portion a predetermined test voltage is supplied and which portion outputs an abnormality-detection signal representing a short-circuit or others is returned from the semiconductor device as an object to be tested and the abnormality detection signal is transmitted.
The semiconductor device-socket comprises a positioning member 10 including a accommodation portion 10a in which a BGA-type (Ball Grid Array) semiconductor device is loaded as the semiconductor device for example; a contact deviation member 8 for supporting the positioning member 10 arranged in a socket body movably as described later in a reciprocating fashion in a predetermined direction and bringing one of contact portion of a contact terminal 16ai described later into close proximity to the other of contact or keeping the one away from the other; a socket body 4 for accommodating the contact deviation member 8 relatively movably with respect to a pair of the contact portion of the contact terminal 16ai; and a frame member 12 for transmitting operation force acting on itself to the contact deviation member 8 through a driving mechanism of the contact deviation member 8 (not shown).
At a predetermined position on the printed circuit board 2 are formed a group of electrodes connected electrically to the input/output portion through a conductor layer. To the electrode group is connected a terminal 16B on a proximal end side of a plurality of the contact terminals (i=1 to n, n is a positive integer.) provided on the socket body 4 disposed on the printed circuit board 2. Each contact terminal 16ai, which is provided corresponding to each electrode portion 6a of a mounted semiconductor device 6, comprises a terminal 16B on the side of the proximal end and a pair of movable contact portions 16A1 and 16A2 that are coupled with the just-mentioned terminal 16B for selectively supporting each electrode portion 6a of the semiconductor device 6. The pair of the movable contact portions 16A1 and 16A2 approach each other in response to the movement of the contact deviation member 8 to pinch each electrode portion 6a of the semiconductor device 6 or are separated from each other to release each electrode portion 6a of the semiconductor device 6.
The contact deviation member 8 is disposed movably along the movement direction of the movable contact portions 16A1 and 16A2 of each contact terminal 16ai in the accommodation portion 4a of the socket body 4. The contact deviation member 8 is coupled to a driving mechanism composed of a pin and a lever as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3059946. One end of the lever of the driving mechanism makes contact with an end of the frame member 12. A partition wall portion 8P is provided as a movable contact pressing portion inside of each opening portion where the movable contact portions 16A1 and 16A2 of each contact terminal 16ai in the contact deviation member 8 are protruded, which portion 8P is formed so as to divide portion between the movable contact portion 16A1 and the movable contact portion 16A2 of each contact terminal 16ai. Further, between the one end of the contact deviation member 8 and an inner peripheral portion of the accommodation portion 4a of the socket body 4 is provided a coiled spring 14 as an urging member for urging the contact deviation member 8 oppositely to a direction indicated by an arrow Mo in FIG. 7 to return the contact deviation member 8 to an initial position.
As shown FIG. 8, when the contact deviation member 8 is moved against the urging force of the coiled spring 14 in the direction indicated by the arrow Mo in response to the lowering operation of the frame member 12, the partition wall portion 8P is moved so as to separate the movable contact portion 16A2 of each contact terminal 16ai from the movable contact portion 16A1. In contrast, referring to FIG. 9, the contact deviation member 8 is moved owing to the urging force of the coiled spring 14 and the restoring force of the movable contact portion 16A2 oppositely to the direction indicated by the arrow Mo in response to rising operation of the frame member 12.
In such a structure, when the semiconductor device 6 is accommodated in the accommodation portion 10a of the positioning member 10 as indicated by a chain double-dashed line in FIG. 7, the frame member 12 is first moved downward. Accordingly, the contact deviation member 8 is moved against the urging force of the coiled spring 14. As shown further in FIG. 8, when the partition wall portion 8P is moved and held such that the movable contact portion 16A2 of each contact terminal 16ai is kept away from the movable contact portion 16A1, the electrode portion 6a of the semiconductor device 6 is positioned between the movable contact portion 16A1 of each contact terminal 16ai and the movable contact portion 16A2 of the same by placing the semiconductor device 6 on the accommodation portion 10a of the positioning member 10.
When the frame member 12 is raised as indicated by a solid line in FIG. 7, the contact deviation member 8 is moved to an initial position with the aid of the urging force of the coiled spring 14 and the restoring force of the movable contact 16A2, so that the partition wall portion 8P is separated from the movable contact portion 16A2 and brought into contact with the movable contact portion 16A1.
Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 9, each electrode portion 6a of the semiconductor device 6 is pinched with the movable contact portion 16A1 of each contact terminal 16ai and the movable contact portion 16A2 of the same to permit each electrode portion 6a of the semiconductor device 6 to be electrically connected with each contact terminal 16ai. 
However, the contact deviation member 8 is moved with the aid of the urging force of the coiled spring 14 and the restoring force of the movable contact portion 16A2 as described above, whereby three partition wall portions 8p are separated from the movable portion 16A2, respectively and make contact with the movable contact portion 16A1 for movement to the initial position for example, whereby there happens a situation where some of the movable contacts 16A1 are separated from the electrode portion 6a, as illustrated in FIG. 10. There is therefore a possibility that contact pressure between the movable contact portion 16A1 of the contact terminal 16ai and the movable contact portion 16A2 of the same is deteriorated and electrical connection is incomplete.
It is contemplated as the cause of the foregoing possibility that a variation in the distance between some of the electrode portions 6a of the semiconductor device 6 results from the positional deviation from a reference position.
There might be also contemplated in this situation that position accuracy of the electrode portion 6a in the semiconductor device 6 is improved, but it is inadvisable to do so because of a certain limitation.
In view of the aforementioned with the prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor device-socket for use in a test for a semiconductor device and which securely achieves electrical connection for an electrode portion without being influenced by variations of position accuracy of the electrode portion of the semiconductor device.
To achieve the above object, a semiconductor device-socket according to the present invention comprises a contact terminal for selectively supporting a terminal of a semiconductor device cooperatively with a plurality of contact portions and electrically connecting the same to a transmission line; a supporting member for supporting a proximal end side of the contact terminal; a contact deviation member disposed movably in the supporting member, the contact deviation member including a press portion between the contact portion of the contact terminal into or out of close proximity to each other following the movement of the press portion; and a position restriction member for restricting the press portion of the contact deviation member at a predetermined gap formed between contact portion sides of the contact terminals when the contact deviation member is moved relatively with respect to the supporting member.
The semiconductor device-socket according to the present invention may be one where it further includes an urging member for urging the contact deviation member in one direction such that a plurality of the contact portions of the contact terminal are brought into the close proximity to each other following the movement of the plurality of the contact portions of the contact terminal.
The socket may be another one where it includes a moving mechanism for moving the contact deviation member in the other direction such that the plurality of the contact portions of the contact terminal are separated from each other following the movement of the plurality of contact portions of the contact terminal.
The position restriction member provided on the supporting member may be a protrusion selectively engaged with the contact deviation member.
The position restriction member provided on the contact deviation member may be a protrusion selectively engaged with a peripheral edge of a recessed portion in the supporting member.
The position restriction member may be a cam member included in the movement mechanism and inserted into a gap between the end of the contact deviation member and the supporting member for moving the contact deviation member.
The position restriction member may be a lever member included in the movement mechanism for interfering the supporting member by relative rotation with respect to the supporting member, the lever member for restricting the movement of the contact deviation member.
The urging member may be a spring member.
A semiconductor device-socket according to the present invention comprises a plurality of contact terminals for selectively supporting a terminal of a semiconductor device cooperatively with a plurality of contact portions and electrically connecting the terminal with a transmission line; a supporting member for supporting a proximal end side of the contact terminal; a contact deviation member disposed movably in the supporting member, the contact deviation member including a plurality of press portions between the contact portion of the contact terminal for bringing the contact portions of the plurality of the contact terminals into or out of close proximity to each other following the movements of the contact deviation, and a position restriction member for restricting the position of each press portion of the contact deviation member at a predetermined gap between the contact portion sides of the contact terminal when the contact deviation member is moved relatively with respect to the supporting member.
In accordance with the semiconductor device-socket of the present invention, as clearly evidenced with the aforementioned description, the position restriction member restricts the position of the press portion of the contact deviation member at a predetermined gap between the contact terminals on the side of the contacts when the contact deviation member is moved relatively with respect to the supporting member, so that electric connection to the electrode portion is securely achieved without being influenced by variations of the positioning accuracy of the electrode portion of the semiconductor device.
The above and other objects, effects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.